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The American worker has been under tremendous pressure to compete with workers in nations where the gross national product and the standard of living pales in comparison to what we have largely grown accustomed to. This was a huge product back in the 50's and 60's and most folks had Hostess products in their homes. I don't buy them anymore but I feel sad for the men and women who will lose a job with union protection and collective bargaining options and if they are lucky find a job paying barely above minimum wage for their efforts in this industry. The Hostess workers are in my thoughts.

Jody

Logged

"Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world". "Try to discover that you are the song that the morning brings."

Seroconverted: Early 80sTested & confirmed what I already knew: early 90s

Current regimen: Atripla. Last regimen: Epzicom, Sustiva (since its inception with NO adverse side effects: no vivid dreams and NONE of the problems people who can't tolerate this drug may experience: color me lucky )Past regimensFun stuff (in the past): HAV/HBV, crypto, shingles, AIDS, PCP

The American worker has been under tremendous pressure to compete with workers in nations where the gross national product and the standard of living pales in comparison to what we have largely grown accustomed to. This was a huge product back in the 50's and 60's and most folks had Hostess products in their homes. I don't buy them anymore but I feel sad for the men and women who will lose a job with union protection and collective bargaining options and if they are lucky find a job paying barely above minimum wage for their efforts in this industry. The Hostess workers are in my thoughts.

Jody

You said it very well. What a mess.

(Reminds me of when Walmart drew a price line in the sand and forced Etch a Sketch company to move production to China. That little tidbit should have come back in this election cycle. Course etch a sketch is a cool toy, and twinkies are crap food, but they are culturally important, at least. )

Logged

“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

Ok, I've gotten myself together, within a paragraph change. When it comes to cupcakes, Hostess makes a really dry one. Actually, Walmart sells this off brand that is so good and moist. I forget the name, but they have them in boxes of 12. They are in the bakery section, but they aren't freshly made like you'd think, so I don't know why they put them there. They must put tons more trans fat in them or something. 200 calories per cake, though.

This was a huge product back in the 50's and 60's and most folks had Hostess products in their homes. I don't buy them anymore but I feel sad for the men and women who will lose a job with union protection and collective bargaining options and if they are lucky find a job paying barely above minimum wage for their efforts in this industry. The Hostess workers are in my thoughts.

Jody

Their in my thoughst too Jody. WE have the Merita bread in Orlando, which is owned by hostess. They also have shut down. My company froze wages for nearly 4 years. I didn't get a raise until January of this year. The union should have rethought this out.

For over 30 years , anytime Ed and I would drive over to Orlando, we could smell the bread baking at the Merita Bakery, on interstate 4,.. No more ...

Yes where I live they are still out in front on on the sidewalk saying damn did we just fuck are selfs lol. The same town I'm from luckily you can get a job at that place be around a long time I hope little Debbie's pick it up lol.

JRE - I understand your feelings, but the truth of the matter is company management, private equity firms, and corporate ineptitude ruined the company. Quote from Daily Kos,

Quote

What was this last/best/final offer? You'd never know by watching the main stream media tell the story. So here you go...1) 8% hourly pay cut in year 1 with additional cuts totaling 27% over 5 years. Currently, I make $16.12 an hour at TOP rate of pay in the bakery. I would drop to $11.26 in 5 years.2) They get to keep our $3+ an hour forever.3) Doubling of weekly insurance premium.4) Lowering of overall quality of insurance plan.5) TOTAL withdrawal from ALL pensions. If you don't have it now then you never will.

Remember how I said I made $48,000 in 2005 and $34,000 last year? I would make $25,000 in 5 years if I took their offer.It will be hard to replace the job I had, but it will be easy to replace the job they were trying to give me.That $3+ per hour they steal totaled $50 million last year that they never paid us. They sold $2.5 BILLION in product last year. If they can't make this profitable without stealing my money then good riddance.

I keep hearing how this strike forced them to liquidate. How we should just take it and be glad to have a job. What an unpatriotic view point. The reason these jobs provided me with a middle class opportunity is because people like my father in law and his father fought for my Union rights. I received that pay and those benefits because previous Union members fought for them. I won't sell them, or my coworkers, out.

We may have forced the companies hand but they were going to smack us with it anyway.

Where's the bottom? These folks have commitments, mortgages, bills, etc. They've built a life on a marginally middle class salary. How the hell are they supposed to keep their heads above water? Save for retirement or future? I admit this is a very touchy subject for me. I've been in manufacturing or machining my entire life. I chose the career I did after seeing the type of living my father and grandfather were able to make. In the last twenty years I've been laid off twice due to jobs shipped overseas. China and Mexico. Dam straight it's cheaper over there, how can I ever hope to compete with a buck fifty an hour. I've watched wages steadily fall while employers expectations rise. Workers are too often viewed as little more than human capital. An asset to be manipulated in the most profitable way possible.

Too often it's profits before principals.

« Last Edit: November 19, 2012, 05:38:19 PM by Denver Toad »

Logged

Life is short, Break the rules, Forgive quickly,Kiss slowly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably, And never regret anything that made you smile.

Seroconverted: Early 80sTested & confirmed what I already knew: early 90s

Current regimen: Atripla. Last regimen: Epzicom, Sustiva (since its inception with NO adverse side effects: no vivid dreams and NONE of the problems people who can't tolerate this drug may experience: color me lucky )Past regimensFun stuff (in the past): HAV/HBV, crypto, shingles, AIDS, PCP

"I have tried hard--but life is difficult, and I am a very useless person. I can hardly be said to have an independent existence. I was just a screw or a cog in the great machine I called life, and when I dropped out of it I found I was of no use anywhere else."

now they stole my wallet. EVERYTIME you tell this story it gets a little worse

Isn't that what happened? I thought some twink had stolen your wallet, and then used your debit card and ran up an astronomic bar tab --and then went shopping at Game Stop or something like that.

Logged

"I have tried hard--but life is difficult, and I am a very useless person. I can hardly be said to have an independent existence. I was just a screw or a cog in the great machine I called life, and when I dropped out of it I found I was of no use anywhere else."

Uh huh. And you took the twink shopping at Game Stop the morning after? Chile, please.

Logged

"I have tried hard--but life is difficult, and I am a very useless person. I can hardly be said to have an independent existence. I was just a screw or a cog in the great machine I called life, and when I dropped out of it I found I was of no use anywhere else."

Wait. I heard that you were buying rounds for the whole bar because you were showing off that you had scooped the hot boy everyone wanted in the entire joint that night. Now you're trying to tell us you were drinking solitaire. Which is it???

Seroconverted: Early 80sTested & confirmed what I already knew: early 90s

Current regimen: Atripla. Last regimen: Epzicom, Sustiva (since its inception with NO adverse side effects: no vivid dreams and NONE of the problems people who can't tolerate this drug may experience: color me lucky )Past regimensFun stuff (in the past): HAV/HBV, crypto, shingles, AIDS, PCP